Maryland Democrats on Tuesday picked state Del. Adrian Boafo to advance to the general election in November in the race to succeed his retiring former boss, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, choosing a continuation of Hoyer’s pragmatic politics over a more progressive, antiestablishment approach offered by some other candidates.
Boafo, a 32-year-old state delegate, has gained crucial endorsements from Hoyer, Gov. Wes Moore and other prominent Democrats, in addition to backing from IT companies and the cryptocurrency industry. His campaign also got over $1 million in super PAC money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Boafo, speaking to fans at night, thanked Hoyer in particular, whom he termed a mentor and friend.
“Tonight the Democratic voters of the 5th Congressional District decided it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders,” 32-year-old Boafo stated. And I take that duty with tremendous humility.”
Also Tuesday in Maryland, rising party star Gov. Wes Moore won the Democratic primary in his bid for a second term of office. Republican voters want to defeat him by supporting a candidate they think can return the state to GOP leadership.
The outsized impact of primaries in the left-leaning East Coast state is coming to an end. They’ll help decide, in many cases, who’s likely to win in strongly partisan districts this fall. Democrats control seven of Maryland’s eight congressional districts and the other is held by a Republican.
That dynamic, and Hoyer’s retirement, brought large expenditure and some famous faces to the most-watched Democratic primary.
They included Harry Dunn, a retired police officer who protected the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. He ran on a platform that emphasized defending democracy.
In his winning speech, Boafo called Dunn a "brother" and said "it takes a special level of courage and partial insanity to run for the Congress of the United States."
Some campaigns became proxy battles over how Democrats should act in the present political environment. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson was challenged in a primary by a leftist who opposed his decision to obstruct a redistricting effort during the midcycle.
There have been several glitches in the run-up to Election Day. A vendor error in the closed primary last month resulted in some voters receiving a mail-in ballot for the wrong party, forcing the State Board of Elections to send out new ballots to those voters.
President Donald Trump pounced, falsely saying Moore had unlawfully mailed the ballots to win for Democrats. The state election administrator scoffed at him for propagating disinformation.
Two dozen candidates ran to replace a Democratic fixture Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat and for years the party's No. 2 in the chamber, is nothing if not an institution.
His departure gave people in the 5th District an opportunity to reflect on that leadership and they eventually decided they wanted more of the same.
Natasha Greensword, 45, and her husband, Rodrick Greensword, 58, both voted for Moore in the gubernatorial primary, and for Boafo to be the nominee to replace Hoyer.
“We know that the governor is ruled by the pillars on which his culture is built,” said Natasha Greensword, “and he will work for people, making moral and humane choices.”
“She seemed to have the same values as Moore and Hoyer,” she added. She said she thought Hoyer’s backing helped, too.
Dunn and progressive attorney Wala Blegay were among 24 Democratic candidates on the ballot who proposed reform. Dunn and Blegay, both ardent supporters of Palestine, challenged Boafo’s acceptance of funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC and other special interests.
Home healthcare CEO Quincy Bareebe, who poured more than $3 million of her own cash into the primary, was the best-funded contender in the contest.
“I just love what she’s doing for the community,” said Michelle Green, 59, a Bareebe voter.
In the predominantly Democratic district, Boafo will face Republican Chris Chaffee, a businessman, in the November general election.
Freshman Congresswoman Overcomes Challenge From Predecessor Democratic Rep. April McClain Delaney defeated her primary opponent, former Rep. David Trone, who gave up his seat representing the wide 6th District in 2024 and was attempting to take it back.
It was a bitter, costly race. The rich Total Wine & More entrepreneur Trone loaned his campaign almost $25 million of his own money, and McClain Delaney loaned herself more than $7 million.
Trone hits McClain Delaney on immigration. She was the only Maryland Democrat in Congress to support the Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia college student whose slaying became an anti-immigrant rallying cry for Republicans.
GOP still has no clear successor to Hogan Larry Hogan was a rather conservative governor of Maryland. Since he left in 2023, Republicans have not yet identified an obvious replacement.
Dan Cox, an attorney and former state delegate who campaigned for governor four years ago and lost, won the Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.
Among the nine contenders in the campaign, Cox was the most conservative. He has a picture of himself with Trump on his law office website and promised to cut taxes and boost housing affordability programs if elected.
Jason Mangen, a lifetime Republican, said he endorsed Cox because he is concerned about the state’s budget, which has had problems in recent years.
“Hopefully you get a governor that can drive the legislature and get a good budget when you look at the economy,” Mangen added. “I think Dan Cox is good on the budget.”
